Saying that it was time to clean up the contaminated 80-acre in the middle of Kalamazoo, Congressman Fred Upton said Wednesday evening he would continue to support efforts of local citizens who want the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to remove the PCBs that have been there for decades rather than cap it and cover it.

“It’s time for this mess to be cleaned up,” said Upton, who is also Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. “PCBs, a known carcinogen, have been sitting here for decades on top of a major aquifer that provides drinking water to residents throughout the area.”

Upton was one of several speakers at the “Clean Up, Not Cover Up” event at Bell’s Eccentric Café in downtown Kalamazoo. It was sponsored by the Allied Site Task Force, which is working to persuade EPA officials that a total cleanup of the area is in the best interest of the community.

EPA officials in March announced a plan to cap the site and monitor it at a cost of $36 million. A total cleanup of the site would cost $336 million, officials said. A private firm, Environmental Quality, has estimated a total site cleanup would cost about $120 million.

EPA officials have stated that they have not decided on a final remedy and would consult community members before coming to a formal decision. They have not said when a decision will be made.

Upton in 2007, when the EPA proposed piling PCB-contaminated sludge on the Allied site from Plainwell, fought against the action. Eventually, the EPA opted to remove the material and sent it to a landfill owned by Environmental Quality that is designated for such material.

On August 1, 2013, Upton joined U.S. Senators Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow in sending a letter to the head of the EPA calling for the permanent removal of all PCB-contaminated materials from the site.